The University of Texas at Austin Public Art Master Plan Peter Walker and Partners Landscape Architecture Landmarks The Public Art Program of the University of Texas at Austin Completed 2008 Public Art Master Plan Background ................................................................................ 3 Maps Existing Outdoor Sculpture ........................................................ 7 Purpose ...................................................................................... 3 Master Plan for Public Art .......................................................... 8 Public Art Placement .................................................................. 3 Public Art Typologies Art in Landscape ........................................................................ 3 Detail Area 1 ............................................................................... 9 Art and Diversity on Campus ...................................................... 4 Detail Area 2 ............................................................................... 10 Art Placement and the Campus Plan ......................................... 4 Examples of Art Integrated with Landscape 1 ............................ 11 Installation Considerations ......................................................... 6 Examples of Art Integrated with Landscape 2 ............................ 12 Signage ...................................................................................... 6 Completed 2008 2 Public Art Master Plan BACKGROUND density, architectural and open space character, and the potential for sequence of experiences. They inform The most iconic and memorable campuses transcend the functional needs of their facilities with a spatial the process of art selection and placement by suggesting the broader collection and the potential to order that invokes harmony and inspires contemplation in both architecture and open spaces. strengthen the overall campus experience. At the academic heart of the UT campus are spaces designed in the early 1900s by Paul Cret that are highly integrated, balanced, and well defined. The demands and ambitions of modernity, however, have PUBLIC ART PLACEMENT resulted in expansion that deviates from these early ideals. In particular, as the car became more integrated The Public Art Master Plan identifies sites on campus for outdoor public art. In addition to considering the into the life and operation of the campus, roads and driveways began to dominate the spatial organization. spatial organization of the overall campus design, the placement of art is considered in reference to the In order to regain the intent of the original Cret master plan, Cesar Pelli and Associates drafted a campus landscape setting for the work. The size and character of a work of art should reflect and enhance the size master plan in 1999 that outlined the vision for the campus moving into the next century. This master plan and character of its landscape setting. Working within these parameters, the art site plan identifies areas for built upon the highly successful spaces of the historical academic core and proposed future development the placement of both monumental scale and intimate scale. in the spirit of the original Cret plan. Public art of a monumental scale makes a large gesture, is easily visible, and creates landmarks that often The public art program, LANDMARKS, sets guidelines for the placement and selection of outdoor public art become collectively meaningful and architecturally prominent. Public art of an intimate scale tends to relate on campus and complements the Cret and Pelli plans by drawing upon the historical spatial order of the UT directly to the individual or pedestrian experience. While both can create campus landmarks, intimately campus. When the placement of art is carefully considered within the framework of these plans, it will scaled public art accomplishes this in a more personal manner. Intimate works can enhance a sense of enhance the aesthetic character of the campus by creating landmarks that convey the university’s ideals discovery or add depth to the pedestrian experience. and identity. In addition, the plan also recommends sites for serial works of art. Conceived as one work, serial pieces can relate to commonly found landscapes within a campus setting: for example, corridor-like settings that PURPOSE are experienced through procession or open spaces that could accommodate several pieces and be The intent of the Master Plan for Public Art is to inform the selection and to guide the placement of public viewed from multiple perspectives or in sequence. art on the main campus. Proposed future projects must proceed with care and deliberation in evaluating the historic, architectural, landscape, curatorial, cultural, and aesthetic aspects, especially as the campus Whether monumental or intimate in scale, the placement of art on a campus setting is affected by the landscape evolves with architectural changes and installations of public art. architectural order and landscape character of the campus. Careful consideration must be given to the existing architectural characteristics, spatial traits, and condition of the individual art site as well as the It is important to add that any acquisition and installation of public art on campus will be reviewed and overall campus design. approved by many entities throughout the university. A formal process has been established to verify that works are of the highest quality, that their placement conforms to the Campus and Public Art Master Plans, For a visual understanding of the opportunities that have been identified, please see the maps for the and that they have university-wide support. Public Art Master Plan. This text portion of the Master Plan for Public Art corresponds to three maps that visually convey its principal ideas. One defines the locations of existing works of art on the campus and makes a few ART IN LANDSCAPE recommendations for relocations and deaccessions. A second defines the spatial organization of the main In contrast to sculpture placed in a gallery or museum setting, the outdoor placement of art in the campus according to zones and recommends opportunities to site different types of works of art within environment activates both the work of art and the setting in new ways. The placement of sculpture in them. The third map provides a detail of two sections and suggests a range of typologies that may be different landscape settings, such as a level open lawn area versus at the peak of a hill, not only imbues the considered during the selection process. art with new meaning but also changes the understanding of the site. The following examples demonstrate how art, when placed in either significant or intimately scaled landscape settings, can contribute to the While the maps attempt to provide a comprehensive inventory of possible locations for works of public art, shared memory and iconography of a college campus. they do not suggest that works should be sited in each plotted point on the map. In selecting the best locations, it will be important to consider the nature of the work, the proposed site, and to remain flexible Gateway and sensitive as the landscape evolves. In general, the placement should avoid crowding, support visual A work of art placed at visually prominent and geographically significant entries to campus can harmony, and respect the integrity of the campus master plans. The maps serve as a reference for overall reinforce and strengthen the hierarchical prominence of the main campus entries. Works of art at Completed 2008 3 gateways should be considered as part of an overall plan that takes into account both the ART AND DIVERSITY ON THE UT CAMPUS architectural and landscape context as well as gateway signage needs. There is a general perception that the figurative bronze sculptures on campus convey difficult and sometimes contentious messages about diversity in the university, both in terms of the individuals Landmark/Campus Identity commemorated and the locations of the statues within the built environment. In particular, the Confederate The location of art can activate a site in ways that render a place more memorable. Art can help statues on the South Mall are a source of controversy; their subject matter and their location are often create a landmark and sense of memory and contribute to the collective identity of the campus invoked when issues of racial diversity and tolerance arise. among its students, faculty, and staff. It can be expressive of the “localness” of a place, reminding viewers from around the world that this place is unique. This tradition of figurative bronze sculpture was followed when the Martin Luther King statue was added to the East Mall in 1999; it is located axially within the Cret Plan and oriented toward East Austin. Additional Serial Project works to recognize Cesar Chavez and Barbara Jordan have either been recently installed or are in various A college campus is often experienced by students and faculty traversing the campus on foot. This stages of development. pattern is acknowledged by the inclusion of serial art projects that can be placed along corridors and walkways as well as along significant spatial sequences. These new statues are more populist both in scale and location than the King statue or the monumental statues on the South Mall. In other words, they do not share the same large physical scale, and their Infrastructure proposed locations are more remote from the central campus axes